Daring Do and the Order of the Eagle
by ArkansanDragon
Summary: They thought it was just another exciting story when the new book came out. But Twilight Sparkle and her friends soon learn that all fiction hides truths. Some more deadly then others. Rated "T" just to be safe.
1. Prologue: The Visitor

**Daring Do and the Order of the Eagle**

_They thought it was just another exciting story when the new book came out. But Twilight Sparkle and her friends soon learn that all fiction hides truths… Some more deadly then others..._

* * *

_Prologue: The Visitor_

It was dark inside the author's home.

The only light came from a lamp at her desk, and the only sound in the still night air was the steady clicking of her hooves on the typewriter.

If anypony had been watching, the sea-green pegasus would've seemed completely unaware of her surroundings, so focused was she on the story at hand.

But she was far from unwary. A fond smile graced her muzzle at the silent appearance of a figure in the second-story window behind her.

"I was wondering when you'd come visit me," she said softly, not turning, but pausing for a moment to rest her hooves.

"How could I not?" answered the hooded figure, adjusting his balance on the window sill. "You know that I worry about you. We all do."

"So you aren't here just because you want something then?" There was a trace of sarcasm in her voice as she glanced over the newly-typed page.

Silence greeted her, and she turned around in the swivel chair to stare at her guest.

Though he stayed in the shadows, her keen eyes could just pick out the chocolate-brown fur under his beaked hood. He was about the same age as her 35 years, but the white robes and red sash covering the rest of his body hid well-toned muscles and numerous small blades. She wasn't surprised that such a fit earth pony had reached her high window. But then again, she knew he could find her anywhere.

The stallion interrupted her thoughts by rubbing the back of his hood uncomfortably. "I wouldn't necessarily say that..." he muttered, hoping in vain that she wouldn't hear.

"I'm retired," the mare said evenly, turning her back to him. As she did so, the light caught one feathered wing - and the amputation stump were the other should have been.

"You know this," she continued, straightening her typewriting paper to ready a new page.

He looked away, saddened eyes unconsciously trailing to the prosthetic limb discarded on the nearby bed. Yes. He knew all too well what had happened.

"That isn't why I'm here," he eventually said, shaking his thoughts from that dark memory. "The Mentor is concerned about you. About this new story of yours."

"Let her worry about more important things than my foals' tales," said the mare in annoyance, beginning to type again. "The innocents believe us to be nothing more then fantasies anyway. Why not indulge them? Besides - " and here she looked back to flash a sly smile, " - if I remember rightly, some of our Brothers and Sisters also enjoy my work, including the Mentor herself."

The stallion cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to look anywhere but at her teasing face. His gaze came to rest on her flank, and the cutie mark* of an open book and feathered quill adorning it.

A quiet chuckle escaped him, and he modestly averted his eyes again, saying softly, "Yes, you do have quite a special talent." Then his voice grew more serious. "Be that as it may for the innocents, our enemies might grow suspicious at your writings. Tread carefully in this."

By now she'd turned back to her paper, and paused again in her typing, as if considering his warning.

"Safety and peace be upon you, Brother," she finally said, indicating that the conversation was over.

"And upon you as well," he replied quietly, worry lacing his voice.

She didn't need to turn her head to know when he was gone. The lost comfort of his presence told her clearly enough.

* * *

*Cutie mark: a picture-like symbol that appears on the haunches of a pony's (or zebra's) coat once they discover the unique trait or talent that sets them apart from others. This usually happens just before or during their "teenage" years.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Many Thanks to my Beta Readers: MyOwnNameWasTaken (from and DeviantART), and Zanzibar1 (from here) :D

Hi readers! :) To those of you who have read my work before: as you've no doubt noticed, this is a bit different from my usual stories. Check my bio if you want to know the full reason why I'm writing this. To any new readers: welcome! And to all of you: I hope you like this new adventure!

p.s. Expect Ch 1 to be up next Monday. That'll give me time to get Ch 2 ready. I'll actually try to get an update schedule going here. Maybe the deadline will help me focus...


	2. Ch 1: The New Book

_Chapter 1: The New Book_

It all started the day Rainbow Dash broke down Ponyville's library door.

"Twilight! Oh my gosh - you're not gonna believe how AWESOME this is!" yelled the electric blue pegasus, skidding to a halt in mid-air and prancing around with excitement.

"OK... Well it must be good if you had to break down my door just to tell me about it," said a confused Twilight Sparkle. The scholarly pale purple unicorn marked her place in the book she was reading, then went to said door to inspect the damage.

"Huh? Oh that. We can fix it later," Rainbow said dismissively, brushing her namesake colored mane from her face before starting up again. "Anyway - " she paused for dramatic effect, took a huge breath, and blurted out " - THERE'S A NEW DARING DO BOOK COMING OUT!"

"I know," Twilight said cheerfully, wincing from the noise, but smiling back at her friend all the same.

"I know right?! Isn't it gr - ! Wait. You _knew_?! How could you know about it before I did?!"

"I pre-ordered my copy a few weeks ago," she said, using her magic to levitate the book she'd been reading so that it hovered in front of Rainbow. "It just came in this morning."

The aerial athlete could only stare, wide-eyed and opened-mouthed, at the treasure floating before her. This went on for several minutes, to the point where Twilight was starting to worry whether her friend was still breathing, when a new voice suddenly broke in.

"Hey Twlight, do you know why our door's blown off its - whoa! What'd you do to Rainbow? I haven't seen her sit this still since - well, _ever_!" It was Spike, a purple and green baby dragon who served as Twilight's personal assistant in her studies as protégée to the ruling alicorn* sisters, Princesses Celestia and Luna.

"I was just showing her the new Daring Do book I got this morning," said Twilight, poking a still-stunned Rainbow with her hoof. Not getting a response, she turned back to Spike and asked, "Did you finish sending out the invitations?"

"Yep," said Spike, grinning, "the others said they'd be over ASAP. They were just as excited about this as I was!" Then he noticed the trouble she was having with Rainbow, and snapped his claws in the pegasus's face.

This finally got a response as she yelped and fell over backwards. "Huh?" she shook her head, confused, then spotted the book again, which Twilight still held aloft. "Whoa..." she sighed happily. "Just look at that amazing cover! I gotta know where Daring ends up this time! And who are those weird hooded guys with her?"

Daring Do, the "Indiana Jones" of the pony world and heroine in question, was a mustard-colored pegasus with a grayscale rainbow-patterned mane, and a compass rose cutie mark. She also never went anywhere without her trademark green jungle explorer's shirt and pith helmet.

The cover of this particular story, titled Daring Do and the Order of the Eagle, had Daring crouched and baring her teeth at silhouettes of armed attackers which surrounded her in the foreground. Backed flank-to-flank with her and appearing to be allies, were several four-legged creatures in hooded white robes. Each of them wore a red sash around their waist, and all were armed with some sort of bladed weapon or bow, including what seemed to be bayonets attached to forelimb bracers. Some of them had wings, and others seemed to be unicorns, judging by the extra weapons magically floating before them, but the robes made it almost impossible to tell how many where actually ponies. One of them even looked like a griffin.

Finally, in the background, a full moon hung in the cloudy sky. Sneering down at the cornered group from within the white orb was the semi-transparent face of Daring Do's archenemy, the strange, midnight blue, dog-like creature known as Ahuizotl*.

"I'm not really sure who those are..." mused Twilight, taking the book in her hooves for a closer look. "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Can I borrow it?" Rainbow asked suddenly, her eyes pleading. "Pleeeease? I've gotta know what happens to Daring!"

"You won't have to!" said Twilight with a laugh. "That's why I sent Spike out earlier. I was inviting you girls over here so I could read it to you."

"_Awesome!_" squealed Rainbow, flopping down on the nearest pillow to get comfortable.

Meanwhile, Spike was busy putting the door back together - only to be flattened by the hyperactive pink earth pony who bounced through it a second later!

"I'm-here!-Am-I-late?-Oh-I-hope-I'm-not-late!-I-g ot-here-as-fast-as-I-could!-Are-you-gonna-read-the -story-now,-Twilight?-*GASP*-Ooh!-Can-we-have-popc orn?!-I-_LOVE-_popcorn!-Almost-as-much-as-good-stories!-And-you-k now-what-else-I-love-beside-good-stories-..."

Eventually the party pony known as Pinkie Pie had to stop and catch her breath, shaking out her thick mane of bouncy raspberry curls. This gave Twilight the time she needed to actually process what Pinkie had been asking.

"No... You're not late, Pinkie. Actually you're early. Yes I'm going to read the story, but we're still waiting for Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. And of course you can make some popcorn! That actually sounds like a great idea!" said Twilight, unable to help but smile at her friend's randomness. "How 'bout it Spike? Want some popcorn? Spike?"

"Over here..." groaned the baby dragon, pulling himself out from under the door. "I'm OK! But remind me to wear a hard hat next time..."

* * *

*In this context, _alicorn _is the name for a winged unicorn. Historically though, it's considered the proper name for the material of a unicorn's horn.

*Ahuizotl mirrors a creature of the same name from Aztec mythology. While mostly dog-like in appearance, he has the front paws of a monkey, and a long tail with a third, usable, monkey-like hand at the end of it.

* * *

Author's Notes: Next chapter might be a little late next week, since I spent most of this week backing up my computer and trying to make sure it didn't crash and didn't have much time to work on the chapter. :(


	3. Ch 2: Small Talk

_Chapter 2: Small Talk_

"Sorry I'm late, Sugar Cubes!" called Applejack as she entered the room a half-hour later. "It was the strangest darn thing ya ever did see... "

The palomino earth pony shook her head in confusion, adjusting her Stetson hat. "A couple of them royal contractors from the railroad company came up to the house, wantin' to know if they could run new train tracks through our western orchards. They even brought along the paperwork! Granny Smith told 'em straight to rights that we just weren't gonna sell 'em that plot. But they sure seemed mighty keen on layin' down those tracks. So finally, after a bit 'a hagglin', we got a lease out of 'em! With all that money they're willin' ta pay, why we can finally fix Granny's hip, and the roof and plow to boot!"

She beamed proudly at the thought, then continued.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't seem to mind either. It's far enough away from their clubhouse not to be a nuisance, and they can still watch the trains go by. 'Seem ta think 'Train Watching' might be a good way to get their cutie marks."

"Our little sisters and Scootaloo are still doing their 'crusading' then?" asked Rarity. "But they already have wonderful talents! Sweetie Belle's singing voice is simply marvelous! And from what you've told me of Apple Bloom's work on their clubhouse, it seems clear that she has a flair for carpentry and decoration. As for Scootaloo..." the white unicorn trailed off, twisting a hoof through her wavy indigo mane, unsure of how to describe the pegasus filly.

Rainbow Dash would've answered instantly, but her mouth was too full of popcorn.

Surprisingly, it was soft-spoken Fluttershy who answered Rarity's unvoiced question. "Well, she's very good at doing tricks on her scooter," the yellow pegasus said quietly, "and I bet she'll be even better at those tricks once she learns how to fly properly. But not too high I hope! It can get pretty scary..." she shivered at the thought, ducking her head into her long rose-pink mane.

Spike gave her a sympathetic look and a comforting pat on the shoulder, before heading to the kitchen for more snacks. Unlike most dragons, he was wingless, and just as nervous around heights as Fluttershy.

Twilight Sparkle merely shook her head with a smile as the others continued to discuss the CMCs' latest exploits. It seemed their most recent one had been something involving a cannon, several wheels of cheese, a mini swimming pool, and a bungee cord. Luckily the girls hadn't caused any property damage this time, and so far no pony had needed to worry about injuries.

She sighed, thinking back to the stories of how she and her friends had earned their cutie marks, looking at each in turn. Rainbow Dash's tri-colored lightning bolt, representing her talent for dare-devil speed flying. Rarity's three blue diamonds, showcasing her skills at gem finding and artistic design. Applejack's three red apples, taking after the rest of her family in apple farming. Fluttershy's three pink butterflies, matching her gentle nature in the understanding and care of animals. Pinkie Pie's three pastel balloons, which were pretty self-explanatory given how frequent and successful her parties were; and finally Twilight's own mark: a pink-purple six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller white stars that symbolized her powerful talent for using magic.

That train of thought ended with the discussion circling back to just how the Cutie Mark Crusaders expected to earn their namesakes by watching trains go through the orchards all day. But this brought another, more puzzling question to the mare's brain, which she quickly voiced.

"Hey, Applejack? You said those contractors wanted to run tracks through your western fields, right? Didn't you say those orchards were infested with fruit bats? Why would they want to put tracks through there?"

"Huh... Well, I don't rightly know, Twilight," said the farm-mare thoughtfully. "I guess I was so excited that I forgot to ask. If I had ta guess though, I'd say it was for them city folk who like takin' the scenic route when they travel. Most city ponies never see real fruit bats. And they are kinda cute critters, what with them being different fruit colors and all."

"Not that I don't mind all the small talk," interrupted Rainbow as she accepted another bowl of popcorn from Spike, "but shouldn't we be getting to the story right about now?"

The others turned to stare at her, blinking in surprise. They'd all but forgotten about it!

Twilight quickly pulled out a checklist and quill from under her pillow and called out, "Let's get started then! Everypony here?"

"Check!" called the girls, and Spike.

"Comfortable pillows?"

"Check!"

"Snacks and refreshments?"

"Check!"

"Extra lights and blankets in case we're still here after dark?"

"Double check!" said Spike, doing a quick count of the blankets.

"Storybook?"

"Check!"

"Then here we go!" and with that, Twilight opened the book and began to read.

* * *

AN: For the sake of my two Beta Readers and their busy schedules, I'm lengthening the update schedule of this story to every two weeks.


	4. Ch 3: The Story Begins w a Cliffhanger!

_Chapter 3: The Story Begins... with a Cliffhanger!_

"The sounds of battle and the buzz of wings could scarcely be heard over the roar of the white rapids rushing through the deep canyon below. At the top of one cliff, Daring Do fought to hold her ground against the combined forces of Ahuizotl's hench-jungle-cats, and Queen Apoidea's changeling warriors. -"

"Changelings?!" gasped Pinkie Pie. "Wow! One paragraph in and already the suspense is killing me! I hope it lasts..." she finished, sticking a curly false mustache on her face and then rubbing her hooves together evilly.

"Queen Apoidea is a new one..." mused Spike, rubbing his chin, "I wonder if she was based on Queen Chrysalis and her changelings?"

"Does it matter?!" huffed Rainbow. "We're interrupting Twilight!"

"Uh, yes. Thank you Rainbow," said Twilight awkwardly. "Now where was I... Oh yes!"

"Having just escaped from yet another trap-filled temple, and then being forced to flee with the treasure through hot desert wasteland, Daring was already beginning to tire from the fight. It also didn't help that some of the insect-like changelings had transformed their vaguely alicorn-shaped bodies into the forms of Ahuizotl's jungle cats, while the rest harried her from above with blasts of magic from their horns. But even against these odds, she knew she had to keep going! No matter what, the magical Ruby Heart could not fall into their clutches!

" 'We both know you have lost this time, Miss Do,' an accented voice said smoothly. 'why not simply hand the relic over and make this easier for all of us? I might even be generous and spare your meddling life.'

" 'Not going to happen, Ahuizotl!' yelled Daring, spotting her old foe overlooking the scene from a luxurious sleigh parked nearby. 'This belongs in a museum!'

" 'So do you, Miss Do!' the half-dog, half-monkey creature replied. He sipped casually on a fruit drink, stroking his pet white cat and relaxing in the shade of an awning attached to the sleigh. Queen Apoidea lounged next to him, watching the battle with interest as two other changelings attended both of them. Although bigger and more alicorn-like than her subjects, Apoidea was unmistakably a changeling. Her horn was longer and gnarled, her carapace-like shell was green instead of blue, her sheer insect-like wings were larger, and her eyes were cat-like instead of insectoid, but she still shared the black coat, saber-tooth fangs, and strange holes in the lower parts of her legs as the rest of her hive. Like all changelings, she fed on the love of other creatures, and she was getting hungry.

" 'How much longer is this going to take?' she asked, glancing at Ahuizotl. 'You promised me a good meal as well as this show.'

" 'All in good time, my dear.' he answered charmingly, -"

Sudden gagging noises from Rainbow Dash and Spike nearly interrupted Twilight again, but she chose to ignore them, and kept reading.

"- 'Soon, Daring Do will be no more, and the Ruby Heart will be ours. When that happens, you and your subjects will have all of the love you desire.'

" The Queen's fanged muzzle twisted into a smile, and she licked her lips greedily. 'Yes...' she purred, 'I can almost taste it now. Still, a little snack is in order, I think.' With that, she stomped a hoof, summoning one of her attendants who brought forth a small, chubby, bear-like creature. It from these bears' long-lost temple that Daring had retrieved the Ruby Heart, but now the adventurer pegasus could only watch as Apoidea slowly drained the love from the bear that had been her guide and loyal companion over the past few weeks.

" 'You'll pay for that!' cried Daring, as the bear fell limply to the hard ground, his bright colors completely drained away, and his expression miserable. While not exactly friends, she had grown to admire the plucky creature. He didn't deserve what had just happened.

"Unfortunately for Daring, she had other problems to deal with. The changelings and jungle cats had managed to get her hat, which held the Ruby Heart, and had now backed her up against the cliff ledge! Try as she might to outmaneuver them, the cats and changelings had boxed her in from both the ground and the sky, and she was too exhausted to even hover at this point. Finally, gathering what strength she had left, Daring made a last, desperate charge at her opponents - only to be blindsided with a magical blast from Queen Apoidea herself!

" 'So sorry, my little pony...' she said, her voice mockingly sweet as she and Ahuizotl approached, 'but I was simply too tired of waiting for you to give up.'

"Daring struggled to rise from where she'd fallen, but the cats were already tying her up with rope, and the changelings were starting to cocoon her with their sticky green wax. Still, her unstoppable fighting spirit was determined to win, even if it meant nothing more now than having the last word. 'You'll never get away with this!' she said, just before a changeling gagged her.

" 'Oh, I think I will, Miss Do,' Ahuizotl said. Then he noticed Apoidea's glare, cleared his throat and quickly said, 'Ah, I mean _we_ will, of course.' He took Daring's helmet from his tiger, and pulled out the Ruby Heart so she could see it one last time. The name was self-explanatory, because the relic was in fact a large, red, heart-shaped ruby which glowed faintly with inner magic. 'I really should thank you for doing all of the hard work in finding it for me, Daring Do,' he added, 'but once again we see that there is nothing you can acquire which I cannot take away.' He sneered down at her, relishing the moment, 'and you won't be stealing it back from me _this_ time, I promise you that!'

"He laughed triumphantly, and signaled his creatures to push Daring off the cliff! But as they reached the edge -

" 'Wait!' said Queen Apoidea suddenly, cutting off his evil merriment.

" 'What?!' snapped Ahuizotl. 'What do you mean 'wait'?! I've been waiting for this moment for weeks!'

" 'She's missing something...' said Apoidea thoughtfully, looking over the bound, gagged, and cocooned adventurer and ignoring her partner-in-crime's outburst. 'If what you've told me about her escapes is true, then we need to make sure she can't get away this time.' Getting an idea, she carefully broke the cocoon, then resealed it around their captive's neck, leaving Daring's head uncovered, but the rest of her body imprisoned in the wax. That done, she spotted a nearby boulder, dragged the hapless mare over to it, and used more rope and wax to attach the boulder to the rest of the cocoon.

" 'There,' she said, stepping back to admire her handiwork, 'perfect.'

" 'Hmm... Yes, very nicely done, my dear. I think this might actually do the trick,' said Ahuizotl, grinning evilly. Then he once again signaled their minions to push Daring over the cliff!

"It felt like forever as Daring Do fell towards the swirling rapids with the two villains' laughter ringing in her ears. But even then her mind was racing, searching for a way out. As she braced herself for impact and took the deepest breath she could, something caught her eye.

"A white-robed figure stood out against the rock face, watching her from the shadows of a lower cliff ledge. But she had no time to wonder about that, for she hit the icy water a second later! As she sank beneath the rushing current, Daring struggled with all her might to free herself! The boulder sank quickly, but the speed of the river was still enough to dash the mare hard against other rocks and the bottom of the riverbed. Try as she might to escape, the blows left her stunned, and the fight before, coupled with the cold water, had sapped her energy. If only she could reach the surface, the air, so she could breathe! But it might as well have been miles away.

"Eventually, though she didn't know how long that was, the world began to fade at the edges, then to blacken. She was numb all over, and even the burning pain in her chest was starting to fade. She didn't even realize that she'd finally lost the breath she'd been holding for so long. As her world sank into darkness, the last thing she saw was a white blur coming towards her. Was it a ghost? The lost soul of another drowned pony, come to lead her's away? She didn't know, and her mind was too numb and tired to care. Something new brushed against her, like the wings of some huge moth, then she felt nothing more."


End file.
